The Philadelphia Flower Show opened at the Convention Center on Saturday, and we have to say that people seem a lot more excited about it than they have been in the past few years. On Monday, queen-of-all-that-is-tasteful Martha Stewart popped by to snap some photos, and on Tuesday morning, a group of blind and partially-blind visitors got a chance to experience the massive display. Read more »

The queen regent of all things fashionable in home and garden, Martha Stewart, was spotted at the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show Monday taking in the gorgeous arrangements and displays. We must say, we’re loving her monochromatic look in earthy tones—very appropriate, given the venue. Read more »

The 2016 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show — which celebrates our country’s majestic landscapes, rich history, cherished monuments and vibrant culture — opened with a gala preview party on March 4th at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This year’s show is also celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service.

The black-tie party attracted many friends and supporters of the annual event, including Governor Tom Wolf, Director of the United States National Park Service Jonathan Jarvis, Deputy Mayor Anne Fadullon, Chairman of the Board of Opera Philadelphia Dan Meyer, and Carl and Roberta Dranoff. Legend Bill Cunningham was spotted in his signature blue jacket taking photos for the New York Times. This year’s gala chair was Leslie Anne Miller, who worked with the gala’s previous party committee to create a fun evening for all. The Flower Show opened to the public on the following day, March 5th, and runs through March 13th.

The Philadelphia Flower Show, presented by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, is just around the corner, and designers are putting the final touches on every display. We caught up with Barb King of Valley Forge Flowers, who has designed the grand entrance to the show for the last ten years. (No pressure.) Find out just how many hours, flowers, and sets of hands go into making the fabulous entryway to the Philadelphia Flower Show—and be sure to grab your tickets to the show here. Want to see the show first? Grab a black tie preview party ticket here. Read more »

“Explore America” will celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service, with floral displays drawing inspiration from our 408 national parks—every place from Cape Cod and Valley Forge to Yosemite and the granddaddy of them all, Yellowstone. The displays will include flora and fauna indigenous to these landscapes, so expect wildflowers, desert plants, greenery from towering redwood forests and fragrant pinelands, the whole shebang.

Let me be frank: I have no facility with plants or flowers; anytime a green thing comes into contact with my fingers, it wilts and dies, as though my antidepressants are leeching through my pores. Still, I’m deeply attuned to the flora of our city. For one thing, we’re fortunate to live in a verdant metropolis with an enormous park system. For another, we have a robust horticultural society that presents the largest flower show in the hemisphere. And lately, well, we’ve got these pop-up gardens that celebrate plants and flowers — and also offer beer. We mustn’t forget the beer.

And I’m not alone. Residents of Philadelphia care deeply about our ample green space. That’s why it hasn’t surprised me to be on the receiving end, for several months now, of rather urgently phrased whispers about potential problems at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). The problems, people told me, all related to its president, Drew Becher, and the changes he’s implemented since he arrived in 2010 to replace Jane Pepper, who was president for 29 years before she retired. Modernization is never easy, and change agents have it especially hard in this town. But the level of vitriol directed at Becher surprised me — and this was coming from people outside of PHS, without an ax to grind.

The 2015 Philadelphia Flower Show opened on Friday, February 27, 2015, with a black-tie gala. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and a cocktail party under a marquee of beautiful flowers while surrounded by Caribbean pirates, playful rats, princesses, and chickens in the barnyard. This year’s theme is “Celebrate the Movies,” and as you may have guessed, there’s a large contingent of displays inspired by Disney movies as well as Hollywood classics. After the cocktail hour, dinner took place among the floral displays. As dinner ended at 10 p.m., guests joined the afterparty where DJ Montone and DJ Jason Weiss kicked off dance party which continued well after midnight. The Flower Show runs through March 8, with a schedule full of special events, celebrity appearances, and lots and lots of beautiful flowers and shopping.

Despite the fact that ice was falling from the sky, more than 200 revelers came out yesterday for our fifth annual LGBT Party at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The afternoon kicked off with opening remarks from openly gay Pennsylvania Horticultural Society President Drew Becher. Our special guest, film legend Pam Grier, was there as an ambassador for Dining Out for Life. She was presented with an award from Subaru for her dedication to the gay community, particularly her work to bring an end to HIV/AIDS.

I got to sit down for a Q&A with her, where, despite some unfortunate technical difficulties, we chatted about her involvement for Dining Out for Life, and her next film project—a film adaptation of her 2010 memoir Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.

The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up with friends, and eating and drinking from our fab lineup of food and drink vendors. Our good buddy HughE Dillon was there to snap some photos, which you can see below while hitting a few of the highlights in the captions.

El-Tirib McKelvy and Dave Reese

Robert Pierosh and Paul Midiri

Stacey Waligorsky and Melissa Garman

Donald Carter and Gene London

Folks from one of our sponsors, Cruise Planners.

Jeff McGrail and Andrew Adams

Maura Gallegher and Chandra Robbins from Art and the Age.

Albert Fernadez, Paul Grossman, David Neil and Steve Quinn

I got the chance to interview legendary actress, author and Dining Out for Life Ambassador Pam Grier.

I live in … Chestnut Hill, one of the greatest neighborhoods in the country. My partner Eric and I have lived in a lot of places. We love the houses, the village, the people, and being next to the Wissahickon. It’s like being on vacation 24/7.

I grew up in … Dayton, Ohio, until I went to college. Life in Dayton was wonderful. That’s where I got my penchant for gardening, from my grandmother. That said, I don’t know that I’d want to go back. But it’s a nice place to be from. Read more »